Welsh dairy co-operative Calon Wen has received another award for its cheese.

Calon Wen’s Extra Mature Cheddar has won the Best Veggie Cheese title at Cook Vegetarian magazine’s first awards.

Judges described the cheese as “...sufficiently aged to have the faintest crunch of calcium lactate crystals, it avoids the excessive sharpness of some extra mature options, leaving a strong, immensely flavoursome cheese”.

The cheddar, which was launched in July 2009, already holds two Great Taste Award Gold stars.

Calon Wen farmer member Richard Tomlinson said: “We are really chuffed that in its first year the extra mature has won these awards which recognise its great taste.

“We have many loyal customers for our milk and butter and after their feedback it seemed a natural progression for us to start making cheese.

“By buying Calon Wen organic milk, butter and now cheese, our customers know that they are getting great-tasting, quality products as well as supporting family farms in Wales.”

Calon Wen was established in 2000 by four farmers, with the aim of securing a long-term market for organic Welsh milk. Today it is owned by more than 20 farming families from across Wales. It is best known for its organic milk, available across Wales and parts of England. It was the first branded organic milk to be listed by a supermarket and is now well-recognised across Wales and much of England.

The co-operative won the BBC Radio 4 Food and Farming Award for Producer of the Year in 2008. It also holds three Welsh True Taste Awards and has been highly commended by the Green Business Awards for its Eco Pak, milk in a recyclable plastic laminate bag which cuts down on plastic packaging. It was the first dairy company in the UK to gain the Ethical Trade Organic Standards Certification by the Soil Association for its organic milk.

Find out more at www.calon wen-cymru.com.